


Not A Stranger

by writingramblr



Category: Labyrinth (1986), Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/M, Sarah is sleeping beauty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 05:19:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2138481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingramblr/pseuds/writingramblr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cursed to sleep until awakened by true love's kiss, the sleeping beauty is alone in her tower, and lost in her dreams.<br/>But she doesn't know she has been found, and will soon be freed from her mind by the most unlikely of beings...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> and now for something completely different! My First Sareth pairing story, and one I didn't really plan to get beyond a drabble...but alas. it did.  
> It is inspired by this manip and then the resulting tagfic of ramblings i wrote.
> 
> http://timeladyspacepirateutteroutcast.tumblr.com/post/94776262810/
> 
> I'm setting the rating at Mature, because I'm not sure how smutty it will get.  
> and if Jareth sounds a bit like Loki, it's because he is. I see Sareth and Lokane as two very similar ships, and perhaps that's why i find them so fascinating. Finding the different intricacies and expounding on them.

The girl who lies asleep in the dark tower is beautiful beyond compare. She has hair like raven’s wings, woven in silk, and lips as red as blood. Her skin is pale and smooth, like rich cream chilled with the breeze of the arctic ice. If she was awake, her eyes would sparkle like emeralds. But alas, the Sleeping Beauty is feared to never awaken, save for if her true love kisses her.

Perhaps it is fitting that she lives only in her dreams, for she never had the time to find and fall in love before the curse took hold of her mortal form. Only eighteen years of age, and already her life ended so quickly. The endless curiosity that she should have outgrown led to her doom. Exploring her own castle, she was led up to the tower and discovered a wicked Faery and a spindle, and she pricked her finger, but did not die, not yet. Ageless sleep was where she found repose, and her dreams kept her from leaving the world of the living forever. In dreams, she might even find a way back, for dreams are full of unlimited possibility.

***

The King of Lies, illusions, tricks and mischief, sometimes whispered of as named the only dark Fae to turn back to light, also named Jareth, could see the sleeping beauty. She was in the midst of navigating a labyrinth he had specially designed for her. If she reached the end, there was to be a large celebration, and he’d planned to grant her a dance, and then at the end of the night, a kiss.

There was no guarantee it would work, but he’d been asked by all the good faeries to try it, and when he’d been given a challenge, he rose to it.

Deep dark magick had to be used to defeat the evil Faery’s curse, and Jareth had no qualms about what he did. He conjured an illusion so powerful, he was able to enter the sleeping princess’ dreams, and mold her created world so that it would lead to her escape, eventually.

He had never said it would be a speedy process. He rather enjoyed watching the girl dance and drift along her dreams, always on the edge of danger, but never really coming to any harm. After all, when one dies in a dream, what is the effect on the dreamer?

***

She could not keep herself from laughter. She’d never known just how wild her imagination could be, even while asleep. A bog of eternal stench? What nonsense!

A forest full of red foxes who played catch and fetch and danced while tossing their head’s around?

Pure folly.

The looming grey castle that distracted her from the usual leisurely journey throughout her mind maze was different.

Usually she came upon a giant fluffy bear, or what she imagined to be one, and he set her upon his shoulders, and she rode him back to the start of the maze.

However, she’d always wondered what the end of the puzzle might be.

“What is this place?”

Her two companions, sometimes a white fox, sometimes a kindly old dwarf, sometimes otherworldly creatures shook their heads at her,

“It’s a dreadful place. That is where the King of the Goblin’s lives!”

The Princess, so named Sarah pursed her lips, and shook her head,

“I don’t think it’s dreadful. It’s actually sort of beautiful. If those storm clouds would go away…” she trailed off, for as she spoke the dark looming castle framed by black clouds seemed to melt away. The clouds became fluffy white pillows, and the sun even peered out and shone upon the castle, making the very bricks seem to glisten.

Diamonds, or pearls perhaps?

Maybe it was all a magic trick?

Sarah didn’t care. She kissed the dwarf atop his bald head, and hugged the fox farewell, before pressing on. Somehow she knew she would continue alone.

She was never very conscious of what she wore, but as she looked down, she noticed she was kicking a long silvery white dress skirt out of the way of every step, and she smiled.

If one was going to visit, one should look their best.


	2. Chapter 2

Jareth sat up from his throne, where he lounged most nights, watching the princess’ progress through a crystal ball.

She was coming!

She was barely outside the gates!

He snapped his fingers and called to his servants. There was an extremely important guest coming, and there needed to be a party going on at once, so she would be able to attend. He needed to dance with her, and then when the clock struck midnight, he would kiss her! He could scarcely believe it was finally the day he could perform his final spell.

He would guess, if pressed for an answer, that the Princess had been sleeping in the real world for over a hundred years, while time stood still in the dream, and he maintained the illusion. He’d cast a spell, with the good faeries assistance, across the entire kingdom, ensuring the rest of the Princess’ people would not age and die before she was returned to them.

It was the first truly benevolent gesture he had performed since being set free from the evil Faery’s grasp.

He knew that she’d been defeated by a prince, who’d thought himself worthy of Sarah’s hand, and kingdom, but he’d failed.

He’d kissed her, but not an eyelash had fluttered, not a breath been drawn. It had not been long before the prince had succumbed to the sleeping spell, and fallen under beside the princess.

Jareth fought back a wave of jealousy at the thought, but had a sense of pride that if the prince failed, that meant he had a very good chance at succeeding.

A tolling bell rang out through the palace, and Jareth stood up straight, with a snap of his fingers, music began to play, and he pulled an elegantly carved mask from thin air to hide his face.

The hushed whispers that echoed around the room told him one thing, the Princess was here.

***

As Sarah walked into the room, she heard the noise lift up, and she smiled at every face she could see, and even a few she couldn’t, for this was a masked ball, of course! It was her birthday, that day. She’d slept in and finally been roused just in time for her party. No wonder everything was a blur in between, she’d been so excited and nervous. But all for nothing, this place was lovely, and she was dressed in a gown that seemed to be sewn from the stars themselves.

The crowd parted as she moved forwards, and though she tried to insist it wasn’t necessary, they still continued.

Until she reached the thrones.

She was surprised that her mother and father were nowhere to be found. Unless…the crowd hushed, and a tall figure walked forth, between the thrones, with blond hair and a dark blue mask.

He reached out his free hand to her, as his other lowered his mask.

Sarah gasped aloud, and curtseyed without a single thought, though her eyes never left the man.

So this was her betrothed?

She’d met him once, when barely a child, and not seen him since.

He was so handsome, with high cheekbones framing a smile that hinted of something dark, mysterious, and possibly…forbidden?

His eyes, one brown, and the other blue, were laughing at her, even as his words were perfectly polite,

“Your highness. I am honored to receive you on this, the eve of your eighteenth birthday.”

Sarah felt her cheeks grow hot, and the heavy fabric of the dress was surely causing her to perspire. She prayed the good faeries had granted her the grace to glow rather than glisten.

“It’s a lovely party. Thank you very much. I must confess, I forget your name.”

She curtseyed lower and realized with another blush she had yet to take his hand, so she did so, only to find herself being lifted back to her feet by it. He brought it further up, and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, and she swore there was a flame touching her skin from where his lips met it.

“You may call me Jareth.”

Sarah tilted her head,

“Are you a king or a prince?”

She knew it was a bit rude to ask perhaps, but she didn’t care. Her parents weren’t around to scold her, so she was prepared to be as bold as she could.

Jareth’s smile grew as he studied her face, and his hand did not release hers,

“I am neither. Or both. I am whatever you wish me to be Princess. For tonight, I am simply your slave.”

Sarah could not recall having closed her mouth since speaking, and her lips clamped shut at his words.

She swallowed, for her throat seemed to be as dry as the desert she’d crossed once in her dreams,

“Will you be asking me to dance?”

Jareth nodded,

“If that is your wish.”

Sarah gripped his hand tighter, experimentally, and was secretly thrilled when he squeezed back,

“It is.”

The music swelled as he led her onto the dance floor, where so many of the other guests had cleared away, and Sarah could almost pretend they were alone.

His hand loosened its hold on hers to allow her to spin out and back into his arms, and she fought the urge to giggle.

She’d been thinking too hard for the last few days, and it was glorious to leave her cares behind.

“Enjoying yourself Princess?”

Sarah ducked her head and nodded, she’d noticed how his eyes never left her, and she loved it.

“I am, very much. But if I may call you by your given name, surely you will call me Sarah? We are equals tonight.”

Jareth’s eyes seemed to darken and he nodded, the hand at her back shifted to below her ribcage, grazing the fabric above her waist.

“Certainly…Sarah.”


	3. Chapter 3

When he’d caught his first glimpse of the Princess, dressed in the splendor that her imagination granted her, he’d nearly dropped his mask. Not simply the paper mache and ribbon concoction in his hand, but the real mask, the one that tickled his eyebrows day in and day out.

Pretending it wasn’t agony waiting for her to find him, pretending it didn’t hurt just a little when she laughed at something he’d created, hoping to spur her on to his castle, to scare her, and failed.

The mask that protected him was now prepared to fall.

She wore a dress of white lace and silver silk, setting off her ebony hair like the stars complimented the night sky.

She smiled dazzlingly at the guests, and he supposed she imagined them to be her subjects. She would be a wise and just ruler, beloved for her kindness and adored for her beauty.

If only he could find a way to have some of that light for himself.

When she walked up to him, and _thanked_ him for the party, it would have been so easy to give in right then and there to those red lips, and those bewitching green eyes.

But he remained strong. He still owed her a dance, and a kiss.

Now they were dancing, and he wasn’t sure why he’d allowed her to stay away so long. Why had he delayed bringing her to him?

The music stopped, and she stepped away from him, blushing once again. Her dress’s low neckline left little to his comprehensive imagination, and he couldn’t help wondering how far down the pink flush on her creamy skin went.

“May I fetch you a drink Sarah?”

She fanned herself with a delicate hand, and nodded,

“Yes please.”

He made a mental note never to allow himself to hear her speak those words again, lest he die on the spot.

“Please excuse me.”

***

Sarah watched as the prince, or king, whatever he called himself, Jareth vanished into the crowd, and she took a moment to look around for her parents again.

Strange that they had not come forward yet, unless perhaps they’d seen her dancing and decided to let her be alone, to get to know her future husband better.

No longer did the idea bring her worry or nervousness. She’d feared him once. She’d been afraid she’d be forced into the worst decision of her life, and have utterly no real choice in the matter.

But having now met Jareth, again, she realized she couldn’t help but want to get to know him. To learn everything he liked to do, what his favorite book in the library was, if he awoke with his hair gleaming golden like that every day…

To wake up beside him?

What would that be like?

She shivered in delight at the thought.

Throughout the journey to this day, she’d never once contemplated things that would occur after her marriage. She knew her mother would be the one to tell her of all things, but with that weight from her mind, it had never slipped across it again.

Until now.

Seeing Jareth before her eyes, so tall and handsome, and with an elegantly cut suit that was perhaps a bit _too_ revealing of his form, she was flooded with unfamiliar thoughts and desires.

The small innocent touches of his hands on her waist and skin made heat flare up her spine, and her cheeks flush.

A chilled drink was just what she needed. But where was he?

She climbed the stairs to the thrones, and pretended not to be straining her eyes, while doing precisely that, craning her neck, and scanning the room for him.

He would stand out, certainly, so there would be little trouble spotting him.

Except for the fact he had completely vanished.

She became horrorstruck. What if he’d disliked her? What if he was with her parents that instant? Demanding they allow him to break the engagement?

Her hands wrung together, and suddenly she loathed the puffy white sleeves decorated with stardust on her shoulders. They were ugly, she had to be hideous, and a horrid dancer.

Wordlessly, she sank into her mother’s throne, and hid her face in her hands.

This was all a mistake.

***

Jareth had returned with refreshments, but to what end? He almost laughed at himself. He’d nearly begun to believe in the dream, the lie, simply because he’d been enjoying himself, and wasn’t truly ready to part from the Princess’ side.

When he came upon Sarah, collapsed in the smaller throne, he dropped the glasses, and they hit the marble with a resounding shatter.

“What is it? What’s happened?”

He glanced around quickly before falling to his knees beside her. As long as there was no sight of the evil Faery, miraculously back from the dead, back from hell, there could be nothing truly wrong in this world.

Sarah’s voice, broken with emotion, answered him,

“I thought you’d left me…I was afraid you didn’t want me.”

Jareth felt his heart shatter in his chest, just as the glasses had moments before; surely they were ceasing to beat and causing his breath to shorten.

“Oh no. Sarah, I could never do that. I want you. So very much.”

This was not how he’d seen things. This was so unexpected it stunned him.

When she looked up, finally meeting his gaze again, he saw the tear tracks on her cheeks, and the tremble of her lips,

“Really?”

Jareth stroked her cheek with his hand, hoping she wouldn’t notice the way his fingers shook.

“Of course.”

She sighed heavily, and a nervous laugh escaped her lips,

“Well then…I suppose I’ve made an utter fool of myself.”

She straightened up, and wiped at her face with her hands, but he shook his head,

“Never. You’re far too beautiful for that.”

Sarah glanced down and saw the ruined remains of their drinks, and she frowned,

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I doubted you like that.”

Jareth smiled gently at her,

“No need to apologize. I was gone far too long.”

She sniffled, and then took both his hands in her smaller ones,

“I owe you another dance for that, dance me to the kitchens? We can sneak our own bottle of wine out.”

Jareth lifted a brow at her,

“That seems very out of character for a Princess…what will your guests think?”

Sarah seemed to think of it for a moment, before shrugging her dainty shoulders,

“I don’t care. What would be more ridiculous, procuring my own wine, or kissing my future husband, right here, in front of the room?”

Jareth swallowed the smart remark he’d been preparing to answer her first query, and felt his barely started again heart stutter,

“What?”

Sarah looked up at him, from below her dark lashes, still wet with unshed tears, and she blushed again,

“If you wouldn’t mind… I don’t really know what’s come over me. But I find myself thinking about it every time you speak.”

While his mind calculated just how often he’d missed her green gaze falling to his mouth, his heart acted for him,

“I think it would be far better if I were the one to steal a kiss.”

In seconds she was in his arms, breathless and still smiling, and he leaned down, capturing her red lips in a searing kiss.

His mouth moved against hers, and before he could dare to probe his tongue beyond the seam of her mouth, a thunderclap sounded.

Light flashed and darkness fell in its immediate absence.

His arms felt empty, and he blinked.

He found himself standing across from the Sleeping Princess’ bed, in the tall tower, but now, outside he could hear chirping birds, and feel the sun shining against his back.

“Oh no.”

He murmured to himself, for as he watched, he could see the Princess’ eyes opening, and in an instant, her eyes had fixed on him.

Dark brows met in a frown, and a hand lifted to rub her eyes, clearly to ensure she was not still dreaming, but the moment she refocused her gaze, all she saw was a tawny owl perched on the window ledge, hooting softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun!


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah felt as if she’d been sleeping for a century, but when she sat up and looked around her room, it was not the same place she usually slept in. further examination led to the discovery of a man at her bedside.

She’d been prepared to unleash a scream, but he rose up quickly, and retreated from her,

“Sorry!”

He’d taken off at a run and Sarah was still utterly confused.

More footsteps sounded, and she turned to climb out of bed, and found her parents peering up the staircase at her.

“Mother! Father!”

“Oh Sarah! Dear you’re alright!”

 

Amidst many hugs and kisses from them both, Sarah was finally given some answers.

The tower she’d gone up to visit the kind old lady spinner had been this very tower, and it had been a wicked Faery, not a lady she’d found.

She’d been cursed since birth, and only saved by three kind faeries and one fae prince who’d come together and cast a spell to keep her an inch from death.

Sarah still had many questions, but one was most prevalent in her mind.

“Who is the Fae Prince?”

Her father exchanged a glance with her mother, and they both smiled at her, a lie of a gesture.

“He was the final option. The only chance of succeeding in getting you back. The faeries insisted on requiring his power. So there was a quartet of good faeries protecting you. While you slept, a prince from another land came, and defeated the wicked faery. However…as you saw, he did not want to stay.”

Sarah grimaced,

“He slept by my side, and heard my snoring most likely.”

Her mother laughed,

“Perhaps. But do not fear. Your father and I will be throwing a ball tonight! To celebrate the return of you to this world, and the defeat of evil.”

Sarah nodded numbly, but wasn’t paying much attention as her parents continued on.

She had no betrothed in reality now.

She still ached for the kiss of the man she’d met in her dreams, called Jareth. She wanted to know if he was real. If he was, could he possibly come to the ball?

Could she meet him, find him, and would he love her?

Never had she wanted something so badly in her life, and never more had she wished that she’d never woken up.

***

Leather gloved hands balled into fists, and crystals shattered as Jareth strode around his castle in anger. The storm cloud of his fury had turned into darkened skies above his home, and would deter any possible visits from triumphant and joyful faeries that would seek to bother him with their presence.

When he screamed his frustration, the thunderclaps above him drowned out the noise. She’d awakened. It had worked. Why was he so angry over this?

Because the impossible had happened.

He’d fallen in love with the Princess, and even more remarkably, she’d loved him back. She’d _wanted_ him to kiss her.

But it had all been just another lie. Another illusion. A dream.

He’d have laughed if he hadn’t hated himself so much in that moment.

Eventually he ran out of steam and power and found himself collapsed in his throne, awaiting the next great joke the universe would decide to play on him.

It found him much sooner than he had planned.

A loud knocking sounded on the front door to his castle, and it was not simply the storm. He snapped his fingers, and the nearest crystal flew to his hand.

Inside it was the reflection of a messenger, one bearing the sigil of the house Williams. He sat up straighter, and watched as the messenger dropped off a large envelope in the stoop, before retreating back to the horse that was tethered just outside the castle gates.

He smirked to himself. Clearly the atmospheric display was enough to frighten more than faeries.

Another snap of his fingers had the envelop in his palm, and he tore it open with little ceremony. His eyes narrowed as he read the elegant lettering and his teeth ground against each other as the words sunk in.

It had to be a joke. A horrible prank played on him.

The faeries had read his thoughts, and seen what would break him.

Then suggested it.

A ball.

For the Princess’ birthday. Wherein she would find a suitable candidate to become her husband.

He laughed, and the sound was hollow even to his own ears. It echoed around his castle, and he was sure that the creatures who served him were shrinking away from the noise.

It was too terrible to believe.

Oh he would go, for why should he not?

The simple fact he’d already done it once, even in another world and time mattered little.

He supposed it was a nice way for the king and queen to thank him for his services.

If only they’d known how close he’d come to seducing their daughter…

***

Sarah exhaled a deep breath as she stood before the mirror in her room, studiously observing the gown her mother had insisted she wear to the ball.

It was eerily similar to one she knew she’d worn before. Now that she’d awakened, the dreams she’d been among seemed to be almost fading away at an alarming rate. An aftereffect of the curse perhaps?

The simple fact was some parts of it she liked to remember. She enjoyed most of it. Knowing that it had never been real was still something she was coming to grips with. But she’d never forget the face of the man she’d kissed.

He’d been the one to wake her. Lie or not, he’d felt so real. Now as she turned before the reflective glass, and taken in the sight of herself from all angles, she had to admit, she looked like a princess.

Pure white silk gloves covered her hands and arms all the way past her elbows, where the fabric met up the with poofed cap sleeves of her dress. The only skin exposed to view was her neck and most of her shoulders, with a scant amount of lace hiding her cleavage.

Wearing white before a wedding seemed a bit frivolous, but when her mother had told her the faeries had fashioned this dress for her, out of star light and moonbeams, how could she decline wearing it?

It felt as if it had to be woven with magick, for the amount of fabric she wore should have weighed as much as she, but it was like walking on air when she moved.

Her hair was pulled back from her face, tied up with diamond stringed ribbons to fall in waves down her back.

She practiced a smile in the mirror, and curtseyed to herself,

“Hello. Thank you for coming to my party. I hope you have a wonderful time. I don’t wish to marry you.”

She fought back the mad urge to giggle at that rude statement, but remained composed. It was just her luck, for not a moment later, her mother knocked on the door, and came to escort her down to the party.

“You look lovely dear.”

Sarah hugged her close,

“Thank you mother.”


	5. Chapter 5

Was he imagining it, or were people actually afraid of him?

Jareth wasn’t quite sure, but he didn’t mind the fact that people shifted out of his path as he entered the castle, having flashed his invitation at the gates, and then breezed on as if he belonged there. He did belong here.

He’d saved their beloved princess’ life, and they didn’t know it. They thought those three dimwitted faeries had done all the work. He was happy to let them.

From the distance he was to the thrones, he couldn’t quite see the Princess, but he could feel her. He could sense her. She was a gentle presence in his mind, and he in hers, but she couldn’t possibly know it. He’d been inside her mind for so long, it would take far longer to grow used to being away from it.

The music began, and guests started to pair up all around him, and he was forced to step aside to avoid being run over.

He’d practically started to sprint to the side of the room when he bumps into someone.

A gasp filled his ears, and he looked to apologize to whomever he had nearly stepped on, and it was her.

He wished for his mask to hide behind, but this was not that ball. This was not that time.

“Your highness.”

The words left his mouth without his permission, and she was looking at him like he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, when he could only think the same of her.

She was wearing the dress from her dream, almost. Those faeries. They must have known.

Had they been planning this from the start?

The possibilities flew through his mind as he realized she spoken to him.

“Forgive me.”

His hand reached for hers, and she was still staring at him with wide emerald eyes as he pressed a kiss to her palm. He decided if he was going to do this right, he might as well do it all the way.

***

Sarah could hardly believe it. It was him.

The tall blond stranger from her dream. But he had never been a stranger. She turned to ask her mother who he was, and found empty air. Her parents were halfway across the room, chatting with some guests she recognizes vaguely as being from out of the country.

So she was alone in this.

She steeled herself, and began to make her way towards him.

He looked so dreadfully out of place, despite his perfectly elegant attire, and she bit her lip to keep from smiling. It wouldn’t be very nice to tease him.

He stumbled into her, and his strong hands braced themselves on her arms, to prevent her from falling.

Then he recognized her.

He greeted her, and she gasped before she could stop herself.

“It really is you. You’re real. I thought I’d dreamed you up.”

He took her hand in his, and his lips were touching it, and she started feeling faint.

“Forgive you? For what?”

She managed to find her voice, and she wasn’t imaging how he smirked at her question.

“Why, for presuming to ask you to dance, when surely there are dozens of other gentleman in line before me.”

Sarah found herself swept onto the floor in the arms of the man who truly bewitched her, body and soul, and she didn’t protest.

“Tell me your name.”

She breathed aloud, and he licked his lips before replying,

“Jareth.”

Sarah’s hand slipped up his shoulder from where she’d been bracing herself, and reached up to stroke his face. If he disliked the touch, he didn’t say anything,

“Perhaps I’m still asleep. I know you. I’ve met you before. Once, upon a dream. Jareth the man who said he was neither king nor prince. Only what I wished him to be. I wish you to be that same man.”

Jareth blinked slowly at her, and when her fingers moved down to trace his lips, boldly as she had ever dared to touch a man, he pressed a kiss to her fingertip.

The inhalation of breath she took should have cleared her head, but it brought no sanity.

“Whatever you wish. I am but your slave.”

Those words. He’d said them in her dream too.

Now she needed to know if this was real. There was only one way to find out.

“Come with me.”

The music grew louder, and people began to spin faster, creating plenty of distraction for Sarah to grasp Jareth’s hand and lead him from the dance floor.

Their footsteps echoed in the hallway as they moved away from the party, and closer to Sarah’s room.

Jareth’s voice was smooth, deep and dark as he asked her,

“Where are you taking me Princess?”

Sarah bit her lip to keep from sighing at the sound of his words. He wasn’t calling her by name, even though she’d long since given him permission to. Well, that had been only in a dream. Maybe he’d forgotten?

“Sarah, please. I’m taking you somewhere I may kiss you in private. For that is the only way I can know the truth.”

A hard pull of his hand on hers, and she stopped moving, and stumbled into his arms. She was trapped under the weight of his gaze, and his mouth curved into a smile,

“You don’t think I’m real? Is that it? You think a kiss will confirm that I am?”

Sarah nodded, too afraid to speak. The fragile moment was lingering, and she was not ready for it to be gone.

His eyes were hard to see in the dim hallway, but she knew they were piercing through her,

“As you wish.”

His arms tightened around her, and his mouth was pressed to hers, and she sighed into the kiss, her lips parting.

He didn’t ask permission, he took her breath, her unspoken words without question. His tongue slipped between her lips and flicked at the roof of her mouth, causing her to shiver in his hold.

Her hands didn’t know where to light so they explored his back, and she felt the hard muscles underneath the fabric of his jacket.

His own hands were not idle, and they seemed to make quick work of the fastenings on her dress. They had not even reached her room yet, and things were progressing faster than she’d predicted, but she didn’t want him to stop.

How they suddenly appeared at her bedside confounded her, and she only frowned for a moment, pulling back from the kiss to fumble at the front of his jacket and shirt waist.

“Is this real enough?”

 


	6. Chapter 6

He whispered the words to her, and she could only nod before replying,

“It’s better than I could imagine, so it must be real.”

He smiled against her skin as he dotted kisses down her neck and over her collarbone, his clever fingers sliding her dress off her shoulders.

The cold chill of her room became evident as her skin was bared, but the hot touch of Jareth kept her from shivering.

Well…not completely.

The dress was thrown aside, leaving in only a small slip, and Sarah crossed her arms over herself unconsciously.

“Do you wish to stop?”

Jareth asked her plainly, and she shook her head,

“No. But I would prefer that you remove something as well. I feel at a disadvantage.”

His white teeth glittered in the scant moonlight that crept into her room, and he snapped his fingers, sending his shirtwaist and jacket flying across the room, landing on a chair in perfect folds.

Sarah gaped at him,

“How did you do that?”

He was at her side in an instant, arms like steel surrounding her,

“Do you forget? I’m a fae. The one who brought you back to life. You think that is my only power?”

Sarah gulped, and shook her head,

“I had no idea. I…”

Her words failed her, as she was brought closer to him, flush against his front, she could feel something like a sword hilt pressed into her thigh.

Jareth kissed right beneath her ear, before whispering into it,

“Do you see? You see what you do to me Sarah? My desire for you has driven me mad. Since you awoke and I could not tell you, I wished for another chance to do so. Now I have it. I love you. I would pull the stars down from the sky for you if that was what you asked. I could re-order time to twist into any shape.”

Sarah felt her eyes sting with unshed tears,

“What would make you happy?”

Jareth frowned at her,

“Is it not obvious? Knowing that you return my love. That is all I want.”

Sarah nodded,

“I do. I think I always have.”

“Magnificent.”

Once again his lips claimed hers, and this time, her hands began to explore his newly uncovered skin, as his took hand fulls of her slip, fully prepared to rend it at the seams.

She giggled and whispered for him to do so, only if he would magick it back together later, to which he agreed.

The ripping sound filled the air, and she was then completely bared to him.

He began to walk her backwards, until she felt her legs hit her mattress. Then she fell to the covers, pulling him with her.

His was a warm and welcome weight over her, and when his pants vanished halfway through her exploration of the fastenings, she gasped.

“No need to waste precious time is there?”

He whispered against the skin of her chest, just inches from where his fingers were kneading and teasing her breast, and she could only moan a reply in the affirmative.

***

He could scarcely believe it. She’d taken him, practically stolen him away from her own party to have her way with him, only to prove the point that he was real. Well, that was how he thought of it. To be honored with her touches and kisses, sighs and moans, and the feel of that creamy skin under his hands, finally, was a treasure truly worth waiting for.

She was a complete novice, and most certainly a virgin, so he was careful with her. He made sure to bring her to the brink of absolute pleasure before even attempting to thrust inside her.

She’d been surprised by his reaction to her, and it made sense. She’d never been around a man before, but now, she was learning fast. Her small delicate hands wrought serious chaos with his control, and he had to resort to a spell to keep himself in check. She came first, in every way, and then he allowed himself to finally take her.

The feel of her clenching around his throbbing cock was beyond incredible. Perhaps he’d dreamed about it, but nothing compared to the tight hot warmth of her.

She shivered in his arms, and mewled as she moved her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust, even though surely she must have been exhausted.

No, she insisted. She’d had enough sleep. She didn’t intend to waste another instant apart from him.

He smiled as he thought to himself how little she knew about dreams. They’d never need to be apart unless she desired it.

He could follow her wherever she went, and he would.

 

When they dressed and returned to the party, she was astonished to discover no one had been looking for them. He smirked at her,

“Time may have passed for us, but it did not for them.”

Sarah blushed prettily, and nodded, understanding.

They found her parents easily, and the announcement was made, to the likely disappointment of a few gentleman guests.

Jareth couldn’t find it in himself to care, when he had his awakened beauty on his arm, he felt invincible.

Maybe he was.

***

**END**

 

 

 


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